Aporia
by Obliviscere
Summary: When six teens are play a game that is the catalyst to the apocalypse, they are thrust into a session that has a few too many glitches. With corruption lurking, Dersites breaking the rules, a missing player, and death at every turn, will the players be able to overcome their travesties to win the game?
1. Act One (Enter): Chapter One

Emily yawned, stretching in her chair. She scratched her cat, Mitch, behind the ear before going back to her Mac. Her room was rather contemporary in comparison to most others of her age, having hardwood flooring and grey walls covered in her own sketches. They essentially were comprised of her interests – one wall had a fist on it, accompanied by the words _KISS WITH A FIST_, lyrics from one of her many favorite artists_. _Another wall had a silhouette-like figure of Darth Vader, and on the opposite wall was an abstract drawing of a hand with an eyeball coming from its wrist.

Her lights were darkened thanks to the dimmer that was on her far wall, which could be changed to her liking by the wireless controller next to her. GOD she loved dimmers – almost as much as green tea. Outside the sun was just barely touching the horizon, giving off an array of colors. Her window, like always, was slightly open to let in the cool breeze of the first of June. It was almost her birthday, not that she cared – they always seemed to suck. On her bed sat her other, much younger, cat, Luna, who stared placidly out of the window, purring at the soft music that came out of iTunes.

Her Pesterchum application, her means of communication with her friends, had just opened and she was attempting to connect with her friends. They were all preparing to play a game that they had found out about months ago. In fact, they were planning on playing the game for more than half a year. Her chumhandle on the application was eclecticPyromaniac, and she liked to type using proper capitalization and grammar, but when lazy, she would slip into shorthand.

[eclecticPyromaniac] started memo [ENTER]

[neverMore] joined memo [ENTER]

[enigmaticSchizophrenic] joined memo [ENTER]

[cleverUmbrella] joined memo [ENTER]

EP: Hello all

NM: hey hey hey

ES: Howdy c:

CU: hi

NM: Where's Joe and Wilmond?

EP: Don't know

EP: I invited them to the chat, but obviously they're not here

NM: Whatever we can just start without them.

EP: Unless you have the download link, that's a no

EP: Wilmond has the link

EP: I think Joe has one, too

NM: op

NM: So what do we do until they get on?

EP: I'll call Joe

EP: Mark, call Wilmond

ES: Alrighty

Emily picked up her iPhone from the bed and found Joe's contact. With a click, she called him. It rang twice before he picked up. "Wake up, _faggot," _she deadpanned into the phone with a smirk.

"I'm up," he groaned drowsily. "What is it?"

"You need to get on Pesterchum," she said in a lighter tone, slowly swerving her free fingers in the smooth fur on Luna's head, making her stretch and mewled. "We're starting the game soon." She could hear movement on his end of the phone, probably him going to the computer room. "Hey, did you dream?"  
He paused, and Emily could hear him going down the stairs with heavy feet. "I, uh… actually did," he replied apprehensively, his voice still groggy. "It was _kind _of weird."

"I'm sure that Robert would love to hear about it," she retorted briskly, "but hurry the hell up." She clicked the phone off and tossed it back on her bed, returning to her computer. She skimmed the conversation her friends had while she had been on the phone.

NM: Did we have to finish that essay for English, Kristen?

CU: yeah

CU: like, a week ago

CU: did you?

NM: Arughhh, are you SERIOUS?

CU: completely

CU: i cant even express to you how serious i am

CU: do i need to cry?

CU: *starts tearing up*

CU: you have to believe me

ES: Believe her, Robert-kun! c:

NM: Okay okay I guess I HAVE to believe you now.

ES: Senpai finally noticed you, Kristen!

EP: lol

EP: okay, Joe should be coming now

NM: Oh, what was he doing?

EP: do you really need to ask that?

NM: okay yeah sorry

[apatheticCatalyst] joined memo [ENTER]

AC: yo

ES: Hey

EP: Mark, what did Wilmond say?

ES: He said absolutely nothing

ES: Because he didn't pick up

EP: Goddammit

NM: is u srs

AC: he r so srs

NM: Welp, we can't start without him.

CU: i'm gonna go shower then

ES: You aren't prepared for this at all, Kristen

ES: One must be showered at all times

CU: please accept this not so sincere apology

ES: Not so sincere apology accepted :3

[cleverUmbrella] left memo

NM: I'm going to make dinner.

ES: Your parents aren't home, either?

EP: Wow neither are mine

NM: Where's Lea?

EP: I don't know

EP: we haven't been talking much lately

AC: "where's your brother, joe?"

AC: oh he's at his friend's house

AC: i think

NM: o rlly

NM: Wait, which brother?

AC: both of them

AC: obviously different houses but

AC: you get it

ES: My parents are actually out, too 0,0

ES: It's their anniversary

ES: And my brother's at his girlfriend's house

NM: Wow you can fEEL the commonality between us.

NM: My douche of a brother and sister aren't home either.

NM: Granted they hardly ever are.

EP: Fantastic

EP: Joe, can you find the link?

EP: I really don't want to wait for Wilmond

AC: don't tell me what to do

NM: she didn't you shit

NM: i think you have odd

NM: i mean ODD

AC: i think you have the case of the fags

NM: wiki/Oppositional_defiant_disorder

EP: I doubt he has that

ES: What would happen if you told someone with ODD

ES: To have ODD?

ES: Do so

ES: ? ? ?

ES: PROFIT

ES: oUo

NM: joe, you have odd.

AC: fuq faqqot

AC: view/?877v953gm15jpjv

AC: that one's the client download

AC: so download it

NM: What is this game even about?

NM: There's no wiki page on it.

EP: Wikipedia doesn't have everything

NM: it has everything important

EP: Does Wilmond even know what it's about?

AC: lol no

ES: Uh… so we're playing a game…

ES: That we have no idea what it's about

ES: I'm not really one to complain about that kind of stuff but I don't know

ES: What if the files are viruses or something? 0_0

AC: they're not

AC: wilmond already scanned them

AC: just download it

AC: everyone has to

[windowChair] joined memo [ENTER]

WC: hey sorry

WC: my cousins were over

WC: they just left

AC: no one really asked asshole

AC: just get the download link

WC: alright faqqot

[windowChair] shared a file [ ]

WC: everyone needs to download that

AC: DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO

NM: ODD.

AC: fuq

WC: shut up idiot

AC: don't call me an idiot

WC: okay only i'm using this download for now

WC: SO NO ONE ELSE USE IT

EP: Okay it's downloaded

EP: What do I do now?

NM: im going to make dinner

NM: brb

NM: (literally just gonna heat up leftovers)

[neverMore] left memo [ENTER]

EP: Oh my god this loading screen is awesome

EP: Okay, it's loaded

EP: What now?

WC: you have my ip address?

EP: yeah

WC: put it in and press enter

EP: Alright

EP: What the fuck it closed

WC: no it's fine

WC: that's supposed to happen

WC: woah

WC: i can see inside your house

EP: Excuse me?

ES: I'm pretty sure that's impossible.

WC: YOU REALLY WANNA BET ON THAT FAQQOT

[windowChair] shared an image [ ]

ES**: **That's creepy and impossible .-.

AC: IMPOSSIBRU.

EP: I don't even know

EP: A lot of things were considered impossible I guess

EP: Even the sylladex system was "impossibru"

EP: So maybe this is just really advanced technology?

EP: WILMOND WHAT THE FUCK

EP: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING

EP: THIS IS REALLY NOT OKAY

EP: WILMOND PUT MY CAT DOWN

WC: ohhh rellaaaaaaaaxxxxxxxx

WC: this is pretty awesome

ES: What're you doing? 0-0

WC: i'm moving stuff around her house

AC: gg

WC: alright see that stuff i'm deploying?

EP: That just appeared out of nowhere

EP: seriously, what the FUCK

EP: Wait that thing has a timer

WC: yeah, you have to beat the first part of the game before that ends

EP: and if I don't?

WC: uh

WC: i don't know

EP: okay, wait, I'm switching to my iphone

EP: So how do I beat this part?

WC: get something heavy

WC: like uh a hammer

WC: you have a hammer right?

EP: I have like, seventeen hammers

WC: okay, grab one

WC: see the thing with the timer?

WC: hit the top of the thing with the hammer

EP: Why

WC: because that's what the walkthrough says

EP: Uh, okay

EP: Okay this peachy colored sphere came out

EP: It's making a lot of noise

EP: What the fuck do I

EP: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SHITTING ME

EP: WILMOND WHAT JUST HAPPENED

WC: HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAA

AC: what happened?

EP: MITCH IS IN THE SPHERE

EP: WHAT THE FUCK

WC: reeeeelax

WC: you only have two minutes so stop freaking out

EP: TO DO WHAT?

WC: okay see that card on the floor?

EP: Yeah, I see it

EP: ...

EP: WILMOND WHAT DO I DO WITH THE CARD

WC: relax

WC: take it to the machine that looks like a sewing machine

EP: Okay, and?

WC: now go the machine with the symbol in the center

WC: that's the uh alchemiter

EP: OKAY I DON'T CARE WHAT DO I DO

WC: first you need to chill the fuq out

WC: second you need to okay whoops read this wrong

EP: MITCH IS MAKING WEIRD NOISES NOW

EP: WILMOND HURRY THE FUCK UP

[neverMore] joined memo [ENTER]

NM: What did I miss?

EP: SHUT UP

NM: Woahkay

WC: okay i think I understand now

WC: get the card, put it in the sewing machine

WC: see the peach colored pole thing?

WC: take that and attach it to the sewing machine

WC: NOW put in the card

WC: and activate the machine

EP: It did absolutely nothing

EP: And Mitch is still making weird noises

WC: ignore him

WC: YOU CLICKED THE WRONG BUTTON

WC: click the one next to it

EP: OKAY OKAY SORRY

EP: It sculpted the thing

EP: Explain

AC: EXPLAIN

WC: take it and uh…

WC: take it to the alchemiter okay

WC: and just stick it in there somewhere

WC: somewhere that it looks like it fits i guess?

EP: Okay this looks right

EP: Woah this is kind of cool

EP: It made a…

EP: Is that a bong?

ES: You made a bong?

ES: What?

NM: lol what the fuck

EP: TEN SECONDS

WC: okay this is where shit gets serious

WC: break the bong

NM: wilmond can i have the link to the walkthrough

WC: yeah sure

WC: /works/340777?view_full_work=true

NM: ty

EP: IT DIDNT CRACK

EP: AND THERES A SHADOW BLOCKIGN THE SUN

EP: WHAT THE FUCK

EP: FIVE SECONDS

WC: STOMP ON IT

The shadow had crossed over her house abruptly, but she didn't have time to investigate. Emily would have gone outside to quench her curiosity on any other day, but the impending threat of the timer was much more important to her. Mitch mewled loudly as the timer ticked down, leaving only three seconds left. She brought her leg up, and with all her might, slammed down on the peach-glossed bong.

Immediately it shattered, and glass exploded. It glowed as it flew up around her, slowing and then pausing in the air. The glass shimmered away, as if it was all just an illusion, and quite suddenly everything in her house glowed like an iridescent pearl. She stood as still as possible as her stomach flipped – what the hell was the game doing? How could it do any of that? It was just a _game. _

Out of her bedroom window she could see that the peach color had surrounded even outside, creating a barrier around her house. The neighbors' houses shimmered like ghosts, and then they were gone – just gone, replaced by empty space. The peach color dissipated from everything, and for a few seconds she only stared at Mitch, who was trapped inside of the sphere.

As if on cue, the orb began to vibrate and abruptly separated into two portions – a black sphere and white sphere. The former flew into the ceiling, phasing through it with ease, while the latter fell to the floor and went downward. It left only Mitch, who floated in the air, his hind legs completely gone and replaced by a ghostly, trickling tail. Instead of the sand colored fur that he once had, a peach-colored coat was in its stead.

Luna, completely detached from the situation, languidly cleaned herself with her tongue.

EP: What the fuck is going on, Wilmond

EP: You didn't say any of this was gonna happen

WC: you just entered the medium!

WC: i'll start building your house since robert's entering mark next

WC: apparently there's gonna be monsters, so get a weapon

EP: Monsters?

EP: What kind of monsters?

WC: you prototyped mitch

WC: so they're probably gonna be cats

EP: Oh my god I have to attack cats?

AC: that's terrible

AC: why didn't you tell her that before?

ES: I may not have played this game if I knew that

ES: Cats are like, my brethren :3

WC: just find any weapon

WC: they're not really cats they just look like cats

WC: they're called imps

NM: This walkthrough is saying that we're probably gonna die.

NM: What did you get us into, Wilmond?

WC: you guys its fine relax

WC: we'll figure it out

ES: To revive someone you have to kiss them.

NM: ooooo mark-san can you kiss me (jk)

ES: *loosens collar*

ES: *clears throat*

ES: I don't know, Robert-kun

ES: You're a bit…

NM: Young?

ES: Ugly

NM: Pshh

NM: I am the hottest shit around

NM: Holy shit wait check the news

Emily ignored the chat, opening her back door that led out to the deck, and then halted. In the sky was a ball of blue light, next to which was a speck of gold. They radiated light like the sun, but not nearly as harsh; she didn't have to squint her eyes to look up at it. On her level was absolutely nothing – only vacant space. She took a few deep breaths before looking down, and she immediately regretted it as she experienced vertigo.

The ground was miles away from her, and she was stuck above clouds. They were colorful, and moved as if a swarm of bees were trapped inside of them. Emily wasn't easily frightened, and had no such phobia of heights, but that altitude could make anyone give their third nipple for a safe descent. She backed away into her house and closed the door, breathing deeply. Where were her parents? Where was Lea? Were her aunt and uncle okay? Even though she knew that it wasn't a dream, she pinched herself.

"Emily!" Her heart leapt into her throat at the exclamation of her noise, and she fell to the hard wood floor out of shock. She searched for a source to that noise, in the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something, but when she looked, it was gone. The only other living thing in the room with her was Mitch, and… "Emily, hi! Hi Emily!"

"Oh my god," she whispered, wrapping her arms around her legs. "You're… you're _talking."_

"Yes!" Mitch yelled. "Just like you!"

"Wha – _how_ are you doing this?" she asked him abruptly, thrusting a finger towards him. "How is – what is going _on?"_

"I'm your guide through the Medium!" he said, ignoring her questions. It was so weird to see his mouth move and him actually speaking English. It was actually kind of annoying. "I'm your sprite! Meow. I know a lot of stuff now, so you can ask me for help if you get stuck!"

She tried to steady her breathing, but everything was happening much too fast. "Mitch, uh… where are we?" Emily finally managed to ask.

"The Medium!" he said, as if it was obvious. Granted, it was told to her multiple times in the last few minutes. "You need to get to your first gate, and then you can go to the rest of your land!"

"So we're… we're not on Earth?"

"No," Mitch admitted meekly, averting his eyes. "Earth is… gone."

"What do you mean?" she asked immediately, and then her stomach churned. "Wait, are my friends okay?"

"They should be! As long as they enter the Medium fast enough."

Emily rubbed her head, trying to calm herself down. She really didn't want to ask the follow-up question – was her family okay?

Maybe she just needed some tea? She got up and grabbed the kettle, filling it with water and set it on the stove. She got out the necessary supplies for tea and went to her room, Mitch following her. It was kind of eerie that he was able to float in the air and how he had lost his hind legs, but at least he was able to talk. Hadn't she always wished that her pets could talk?

She entered her room, where Luna sat on the bed. She mewled softly at Emily before leaping off the bed, knocking into the bass guitar leaning on the wall. As if in slow motion, it fell directly onto Mitch and Emily could only let out a mild, "Oh fuck," before a bright light encompassed the room. When she was able to look again, there was a grotesque mixture of guitar and cat in front of her.

Mitch's back became the slick Epiphone guitar, and the neck of it stretched out behind him like a tail. She had no idea how it would still play and sound good when it was deformed like that, but if that were the strangest thing about the last ten minutes, she really wouldn't mind. "Meow!" Mitch said, and he plucked a note without touching it, as if it was connected to his brain and he could control it. Maybe he could?

"Mitch, what is going on?" she asked, running her fingers through her black hair shakily. "What's the point of this?"

"You need to get to your land," he said, and suddenly his lids were heavy.

"You aren't going to sleep, Mitch, I need your help!" Emily yelled.

Mitch shook his head and floated onto her bed, curling up into a ball. "Just keep… building up…"

"Mitch, oh my Jesus. Goddammit you fucking cat thing."

She sighed and heard a hiss behind her. In response, she grabbed the first thing that she could find – a handgun. For once in her life, she was happy about the random assortment of weaponry that her father left around the house. "Always be prepared, even when you don't need to be," her dad always said. God, he's awesome. In every room there was a handgun, usually hidden in places only the family knew about.

In the doorway stood an ugly creature and she could hardly believe that it was part cat. An imp, Wilmond had called it. The imp crawled on all fours, and it was slightly bigger than Mitch. However, instead of brown fur, it had a slick, black shell and piercing yellow eyes. No matter how grotesque it looked, it was still somewhat a cat, which made this even harder. Emily scrunched up her nose and eyes in apprehension.

It was kind of cute?

No, she had to kill it. She held up her gun and pulled the safety, aiming it at the imp. "This game better be worth it," she muttered, taking her first shot of many.

Author's Note: If you have any questions or advice, you can either review, or for a quicker reply, go to aporiastuck. tumblr. com. Thanks for reading.


	2. Act One (Enter): Chapter Two

"Tragedy has struck today in New Jersey," the news anchor announced, "as a meteor has fallen in Middlesex county." Joe halted typing and stared at the computer screen absently, listening for the news in the next room. "NASA has announced that the meteor was unexpected, and that there are more to come. However, there is no need to worry – satellites in space will attempt to deflect them from Earth's atmosphere."

He got up and strode over to his living room, glancing at the television. It had a map of his county, and only a few miles away from him was a bulging red mark where the meteor had struck. He had seen that before – he knew that map; he had definitely seen it before, with the same red mark, but where?

"For now," the anchor continued, "if anyone is in need of shelter, the community centers are open."

AC: okay what the fuck is going on

NM: I'm assuming that meteors are falling from the sky

NM: That was made pretty obvious

ES: That looks like it's near Emily's house :c

NM: I'm pretty sure that it IS her house

WC: the laptop just turned on

NM: "the"?  
NM: Can you be a bit more specific?

WC: THE LAPTOP

WC: the one we got at the factory!

ES: But it was locked 0,0

ES: It being turned on doesn't make it unlock

WC: WELL IT'S UNLOQED

NM: So what's on it?

AC: seriously what could be on it

WC: i dont fuqing know

WC: gimme a minute to look

NM: While we do that, I guess we'll discuss this meteor situation

NM: Q: WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH IT

AC: well theres a meteor

AC: and theres more meteors coming

AC: REALLY not much more than that

ES: Where are they coming from :?

NM: Turn on the tv, you shits

NM: You'll see that there's supposed to be more meteors coming

WC: this has a map of the world

NM: So does Wikipedia

WC: but this has like colored in shit

WC: idiot

AC: dont call him an idiot

WC: faqqot

ES: Could you take a picture of the map and send it to us? :B

WC: uh how its on a different laptop

NM: You have an iPod with a camera

WC: oh yeah

[windowChair] sent image [ ]

ES: That's weird

[enigmaticSchizophrenic] disconnected from memo [ENTER]

Mark attempted to type more, but he realized that his Internet had disconnected. He stared at it wide-eyed for a moment before pushing his chair away. It had been a while since he had lost connection to the Internet. The last time was actually in October, when a hurricane had plumaged New Jersey. Although his house wasn't damaged by the storm, the emotional damage he sustained from the lack of Internet was _kind _of devastating.

What the fuck was he supposed to do now.

He looked around his room silently, trying to find someway to fill the excess time that he had until his Internet returned and he was able to enter the game. The dresser next to him was stacked with objects, ranging from a replica of a Spanish pistol to a chess set featuring the Civil War, the star of the set obviously being Abraham Lincoln. There was a Cthulu dice on it, and it was supposed to go to some game that he had lost long ago.

On his bed was an assortment of stuffed animals, ranging from a Cthulu plush that he had gotten for Christmas – well, Hanukkah; Mark tended to be a tad bit Jewish from time to time – to a unicorn PillowPet. His walls were covered in his own drawings, much more than Emily's since he had started before her. There were gears that covered his ceiling, turning because of a skeletal hand that turned into a double helix structure of DNA that turned into train tracks.

Next to his computer on his desk was a clock that he had taken apart about a year beforehand to see how it worked. Despite the fact that he learned how clocks worked, he wasn't able to put it back together, and it ended up being forgotten. A flat television was behind him, under which sat an Xbox 360. He liked to play adventure games where you actually had to think to win – although Mark occasionally took part in a silly game like Dead Rising 2, where you just killed zombies with arbitrarily -made weapons.

He still had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do. No one was home with him, so he couldn't pester them. Where even was his family? His stomach churned for a moment as he thought about the meteors – was his family okay? Running his fingers through his hair, Mark shook his head and sighed, going back to the computer.

It appeared that the Internet had decided to kick back on.

NM: Mark, are you fucking kidding me

NM: Get the fuck back on

AC: what if the meteor hit him

NM: Shut up

WC: he's probably fine

WC: the game wouldn't let him die

NM: You make it sound like the game has a physical force

NM: It's just a game

NM: It can't do that

NM: It shouldn't be able to do THIS

WC: idk man

WC: the game can apparently do this

WC: i try not to question it

AC: okay so this map

AC: what exactly is it showing

NM: I don't fucking know

NM: Okay I do but

NM: What it's showing is impossible

NM: Unless it's directly connected to NASA

WC: what is it

NM: It's showing the meteors you shit

NM: And where they're all going to land

NM: And when

enigmaticSchizophrenic] reconnected to memo [ENTER]

ES: I'm back

NM: There's going to be a meteor heading for our houses

NM: Directly our houses

ES: 0,0

AC: wait so what happened to Emily

AC: it didnt say she was disconnected or anything

AC: so did she not get hit

WC: no you idiot

WC: she entered the medium

WC: she's safe

WC: robert, you need to enter mark

NM: But I'm trying to read this walkthrough you sent me

NM: And examine the map so I can figure out who needs what the fuck is going on

WC: do you want him to die

NM: I guess not

NM: Okay, Mark, let's get this shit started

ES: Woo!

[enigmaticSchizophrenic] changed memo name [SAVE MARK]

WC: so look get the download links from before

ES: Already did it before

NM: As did I

WC: robert, activate the server download

WC: mark, activate the client download

AC: what about our parents

WC: uh

AC: and our friends

AC: and the rest of our families

WC: i don't know

WC: but i know that this is supposed to save us

NM: Whatever

NM: We'll worry about that later

NM: Mark, do you have my IP address?

ES: Yeah

ES: So I just activate it and put in the address?

WC: yeah

ES: Okay I did that

ES: It closed .-.

NM: Wilmond said it would

NM: Okay, I can see inside his house

NM: What do I deploy?

WC: just read the walkthrough

NM: Ugh okay

NM: Where exactly am I supposed to deploy this shit?

NM: There's no place in your room I can do it

ES: What about my living room?

NM: Okay

NM: Alright so I deployed everything

NM: Oh look I can put labels on them

NM: Okay so everything is labeled

ES: The labels are just floating in the air

ES: This is pretty weird  
ES: Hitler's upset

ES: This one has a timer

NM: Hitler's in his cage where he should be

NM: I'd advise you not to prototype him, by the way

NM: Yeah, about the timer

NM: You have a while to enter the Medium

NM: Like, ten minutes actually lol

NM: That's longer than Emily had at least

WC: try not to waste time so everyone else can enter

NM: Wait can't Joe enter you at the same time I enter Mark?

WC: oh

WC: i guess

AC: don't tell me what to do

[apatheticCatalyst] disconnected from memo [SAVE MARK]

NM: welp i guess you cant now

NM: GREAT

NM: Regardless

NM: Let's get this shit storm on the road

ES: Alright so what do I do :?

NM: Well, number one, don't panic like Emily did

NM: Since there's apparently gonna be monsters, you should find a weapon first

ES: Alright

ES: Let me look around a bit

Mark glanced around – finding a weapon should be relatively easy. In the corner by his door was a Keyblade that he had gotten online, along with a Master Sword and Hylian Shield he made for his Link cosplay back in September. His Spanish pistol replica was an obvious candidate, the only problem being that it wasn't an actual gun.

A battleax was under his bed, and nunchucks hung on the curtain bar of his window. There were a bunch of guns made from paper under his bed in a box that he had created when he was about seven. On his wall was what he really wanted, though – a fencing sword.

It was rather stereotypical of fighting games, but he really didn't care. Even though he had never fenced before, he was rather efficient with it, as he liked to play around with it in his room. Granted, Mark really never had to use it on anything living, so he couldn't say whether or not he was actually decent at it or not.

ES: So I got my sword

NM: Sweet

NM: Now find an object that you can prototype your Kernelsprite with

ES: My what 0.o

NM: There's gonna be a sphere thing that comes out of one of the things

NM: You need to throw an object into the sphere  
NM: Preferably, it should be living, or similar to something living

NM: Or dead

ES: What if I prototype my Cthulu dice? o:

NM: What if you prototype your dick

NM: Please don't

NM: Both options are terrible

NM: Could you prototype your bird?

ES: You mean Hitler?

ES: Do you want me to die?

NM: Ugh whatever

NM: Just find something

NM: Okay you have eight minutes left

NM: Let's actually start

ES: Alright so what do I do?

NM: Go downstairs

NM: Bring your phone; you're doing all this on mobile now

ES: Alrighty

ES: I am now staring at all the machines

WC: theres a map of where we are

NM: That's even more impossible

NM: We'll discuss the laptop and all information on it after we all enter

ES: Please tell me what to do :B

NM: I put a pre-punched sylladex card on the table

NM: Pick it up, bring it to the thing that looks like a sewing machine

NM: Put it in the slot

NM: See the green dowel?

NM: Put it in the sewing machine okay

ES: Okay, I did such now what

NM: oh i dont fucking know

NM: how about you tuRN IT ON

ES: You sir

ES: You need to chill the fuck out

ES: Okay it carved the dowel

NM: Just leave it there for now

NM: Wow this is running rather smoothly

NM: Now I need you to open the thing over there

ES: What thing over there

NM: The one with pole in the center

ES: This?

NM: Yes, that

NM: Find something heavy and drop it on the top

NM: No wait I can do it

NM: Just move out of the way

ES: YOU JUST THREW MY COUCH ON IT

NM: I do what must be done

ES: Woah green sphere thing

NM: Okay prototype it

NM: no

NM: NO

NM: THAT IS NOT OKAY

NM: THAT IS AGAINST THE RULES

NM: I TOLD YOU NOT TO PROTOTYPE THAT

ES: Cthulusprite :3

ES: Uh… he's making weird noises

NM: Yeah you dumb shit

NM: IT'S A DARK OTHER WORDLY GOD

NM: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN

NM: CTHULU IS GOING TO MURDER YOU NOW

ES: :c

ES: Cthulusprite wouldn't do that he's chill

ES: He's just standing there

ES: *Floating

NM: I swear to fuck

NM: Whatever

NM: Don't have time to argue

NM: Just prototype something else later

NM: Okay so now you need to bring the dowel to the alchemiter

ES: The what now

NM: Did you even skim the walkthrough?

NM: Okay whatever DON'T CARE

NM: It's that thing by the door

ES: It's blocking my door ._.

NM: Yes, it is

NM: The throes I must go through in order to play this game

NM: Architects everywhere are pissed as hell

EP: This place is pretty fucking awesome

EP: Monsters have been slayed at my hand like peasants

EP: My house is riddled with bullet holes but someone must take the casualities

ES: Hi Emily

ES: What's the Medium like?

EP: My house is floating in the middle of the air

EP: Which is pretty fuckin awesome

EP: Um… Mitch is asleep

EP: He got combined with my bass

NM: Ugh, I can't believe we have to fight cats

NM: This is terrible

ES: Does this mean we have to battle guitar-cats now 0,0

ES: Since she prototyped her guitar as well

NM: No you dumb shit

NM: Only the first prototyping affects the imps

NM: And other stuff but that doesn't matter at the moment

ES: How do you know all of this .

NM: BECAUSE SOMEONE READ THE WALKTHROUGH

NM: Okay back on topic

NM: Emily, are you safe where you are?

EP: Aside from the monsters, yeah

EP: Shootin them up

NM: Okay cool

NM: Mark, put the dowel in the alchemiter

NM: And activate it

ES: A little thing that looks like a dildo appeared o.o

NM: Huh that does look like a dildo

ES: Wait where's Wilmond

NM: Probably playing DotA

NM: Whatever

NM: It's not like he needs to do anything until near the end

NM: Oh shit two minutes

NM: Let's hurry this up

ES: Okay so what do I do with the dildo?

NM: I think that's a detonator actually

ES: Is this gonna blow up my house

NM: That would be counterproductive to the game

NM: So I doubt it

NM: Okay, yes, just click it

The boy picked up the dildo-like detonator and weighed it in his hand, frowning. Could it really be as easy as just clicking a button? Did he really want to? After Emily had broken her bong, she had been transported away from her house. Cthulusprite started buzzing and made more strange noises, as if endorsing him to press the button and hurry the hell up.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, his thumb hovering over the button of the detonator. Mark took in a deep breath and glanced at the timer – one minute left. If he didn't enter the Medium, a meteor would probably just crush him, which would be an instantaneous death. But hadn't he always asked for this to happen – a journey to somewhere else in some apocalyptic event?

Half a minute left.

NM: Mark, what the fuck are you doing

NM: What was that in the corner there

NM: Must've just been a shadow whatever

NM: Please hurry the fuck up

NM: It would be much appreciated if you stopped staring into space

NM: Yes, click the button

NM: No, no, stop spacing out

NM: Oh my fucking god I swear to fucking hell

NM: CLICK IT

Mark finally followed instructions, tapping the detonator's button lightly with his thumb. There was a moment in which nothing happened, but the timer had ceased to continue counting down. Ever so slowly the detonator faded from his hand, and he put his down hand, frowning at where the detonator had been. A small particle of light stood in its place, vibrating ever so slightly.

Cthulusprite made even more noises, shaking in the air. Mark deliberately put his hand up, extending a single finger to the ball of light. Before he could touch it, it abruptly burst, emitting a photon of light. It blinded him, and he fell to the ground, pulling up his arms to cover his eyes. There was a steady, piercing white noise for a few seconds.

The light dissipated, and he almost wondered whether he had died. Was the light actually an explosion that dispersed every particle of his body? The case was obviously found to be false as soon as he opened his eyes, everything looking exactly the same.

Except for Cthulusprite.

Instead of being trapped inside the sphere like he had previously been, Cthulu was fully released. He floated in the air, only his head being prototyped. The green color that accompanied him was rather appropriate, and his tentacles wisped around. He stared at Mark, who was still on the floor, with contempt in his eyes. Mark stared back, afraid to move.

"Hi Cthulu," he said quietly.

He made an indescribable noise that had no vowels in it, but Mark still didn't regret prototyping his Cthulu dice. In his mind, it was a most excellent decision that he would never regret for the rest of his life. Another noise came out of Cthulusprite's mouth, and Mark rolled his eyes.

"Cthulu, I can't understand you," he told him. "This is absolutely ridiculous."

NM: I told you that was a terrible decision

ES: Fuck you, it was a great decision

ES: Cthulu and I are bros

NM: Whatever

NM: Wilmond, you have to enter Joe now

NM: Where did Joe even go?

NM: Goddammit am I talking to myself here

NM: This is what Joe does I'm not Joe

NM: Whatever I'm gonna start building your house up to the first house, Mark

Mark pulled his sword from his strife sylladex and waved it playfully in the air for a moment. Cthulu stared at him, continuing to make strange noises that he couldn't comprehend. Robert had said that he could prototype it again, which was probably the smart thing to do so that Cthulu could actually talk.

"C'mon, Cthulu," he ordered, going upstairs to his bedroom.

In his room, he looked around for something else to prototype the sprite with. The Abraham Lincoln chess piece seemed like the only thing that was logical to put into the sprite. He grabbed the chess piece, just about to throw it at Cthulu when something leapt on his back.

"Gyah!" he exclaimed, claws sinking into his back. He shook violently, slamming into the closest wall backwards. Whatever was on his back let out a shriek before falling to the ground. Mark turned on his heel and held up his sword defensively, Abraham Lincoln in his other hand.

The creature was small, probably a fourth of Mark's height. It had a shiny, black outer shell with whiskers on its face, yellow eyes above that. The imp also had tentacles coming from its sides, and its claws were familiarly catlike. "Oh goddammit," he muttered, backing away from the creature. How was he supposed to kill something that encompassed his two loves in life?

It swiped at him, knocking Abraham Lincoln out of his hand. The chess piece hit the edge of his desk, and the head got cut off. "Oh, fuck no," Mark growled, slamming his sword down on the imp's chest. It let out a shrill shriek before bursting into small pieces that looked similar to Gushers candy. As soon as he touched one of them, it disappeared.

With a sigh, he picked up the broken pieces of Abraham Lincoln and realized that he had to make a decision – should he prototype the head or the body? Before he could make such a decision, however, Cthulusprite flew into the room and leapt at Mark's hand that was holding the body of Abraham Lincoln. "Cthulu, no!" he yelled, but it was too late.

In a burst of green light, Cthulusprite was replaced by something that was not anything that Mark wanted. It was, in fact, his first regret of the game. In front of him stood something akin to a man. He stood at about six feet tall, with the normal dimensions of a human except for its head. Instead of a human head, he had Cthulu's beard of tentacles and beady yellow eyes, along with a top hat.

"I am so sorry, Cthulu," he said, backing against the wall.

"No problem at all, my boy," Cthulu Lincoln said with a nod, his tentacles curling. "In this state, I have the ability to speak!"

"Oh."

"Mark, you need to listen to me well," his sprite told him, dipping into a serious tone. "A time will come when you need to make a serious decision, and in that time, you must decide what is most important. You must prioritize, and there is a right and wrong."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Cthulu?"

Cthulu Lincoln sighed, rubbing his hand on his forehead. "It doesn't matter at this point," he finally said. "All you need to do now is get to your first gate. Your friend is currently building your house up, and while he does that, you should start killing the imps around your house. You have about an hour to reach the first gate before imps completely invade your house."

Mark nodded, taking everything in. "Wait," he said, furrowing his brow, "will I be able to come back here?"

"At some point," he said, "but not until later in the game."

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course not, my boy!" he said with a huge grin, his tentacles curling even more. "But I will at one point, though. You just need to get strong!"

Mark sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright," he muttered. He went back to the chat and realized quite suddenly that the group had reached an impasse in the game – Wilmond and Joe weren't responding to the chat at all, and they had to enter next.


	3. Act One (Enter): Chapter Three

Robert scanned the computer screen, ignoring the television that was declaring that more meteors were falling to Earth. NASA obviously had no capability of identifying the source, nor were they aware of when the shower of death would cease. The map on his monitor was matching up perfectly as each meteor touched down. It appeared that the green areas of the map were being hit first, and the red areas would be hit later. Wherever there was green, it was always in clumps – in a small part of New Jersey, a small part of Rhode Island, two small parts of Texas, London, Dubai, Tokyo, and a bunch of other places.

How could a computer they obtained half a year ago hold that kind of information? It was literally impossible. Not only impossible, but why wouldn't the owner of it share the information to the rest of the world? He rubbed the bridge of his nose, petting his dog, Jasper, with his other hand. Where were the meteors even originating from? If they were from the outreaches of space, then NASA would be able to detect them, but where else could they be from?

If Wilmond was being truthful, then there would only be six humans left in the entire known universe. It seemed like his whole life had been turned upside down in the matter of twenty minutes, and he hadn't even entered the game yet. He almost wished that he could take it all back, but was dying via meteor better than anxiously awaiting a game that was supposed to kill him multiple times?

Should he even bother sending the news company the meteor landing map? It wasn't like they would be able to do anything other than tell people approximately when their death was supposed to take place. _Hey, we can't really stop these meteors, but at least you can have a death party! _Maybe it would be better for them to go out without even knowing that they were going to die?

Would he want to know?

Obviously; but the rest of the world wasn't like him.

Before he dwelled on it any longer, he grabbed his mouse and changed the tab to the other document that was on Wilmond's scavenged laptop. It didn't have an author, but the person must have been unprofessional since they dipped into heavy sarcasm and obscene language most of the time. From the start he felt like he was reading some fan fiction, which wasn't a problem, but he would prefer a more professional approach to the walkthrough. All he wanted was quick information on the game – he didn't have time to wade through the verbose language of the author.

The house phone rang. "Shut up!" he snapped. Despite his order, it kept ringing, and he reluctantly got up. _Who is on this line better be goddamned important, _he thought to himself, grabbing the receiver without looking at the caller identification. "Hello?"

"Hi honey."

Robert froze, his stomach churning viciously. It was his mom, and he had to breathe out steadily to not vomit. "Hey, Mom."

"You aren't picking up your cell phone," she informed him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which was perpetually on silent. After he got his iPod, he deemed his phone to be unnecessary. "Anyway, did you hear about the meteors?" Something flashed in front of him. "Honey?" It must have been the dog. "Robert?"

"Huh?"

"Did you hear about the meteors?"

"Oh," he said unintelligently. "Uh, yeah, yeah; it was on the news. Kind of hard to miss."

"Are you okay to be home alone?" she wanted to know. "I can come pick you up and bring you to work."

Robert opened his mouth, and then closed it. If he said yes, she would be saved temporarily, but according to the walkthrough it would send them into a "doomed timeline," whatever that meant. He made a mental note to research that a bit more before replying in a stale voice, "No, I'm fine."

"Alright," his mom conceded. "If you need me, just call."

"Of course."

"Love you, bye."

"Love you, too."

NM: Okay, I don't feel like dealing with bullshit

NM: Joe, deploy the shit for Wilmond

WC: joe isn't here

NM: Where the fuck is he

WC: he left the chat a bit ago

WC: remember?

NM: Fucking Christ

NM: Okay fuck um

WC: do you want me to call him?

NM: No

NM: I want him to grow the fuck up and get on by his own accords

NM: God fucking dammit

NM: Just call him

WC: okayyyyyy

He opened a new Microsoft Word document and wrote the date. It was no progress, and for a few moments he just stared at the blank document. He knew barely anything about the game, abut things were going to hell – he had to record his and his friends' experience, even if they did all end up dead or something. He wondered where the author of the walkthrough was, and if someone else was ever going to read his walkthrough.

_Obviously if you're reading this, you know a little bit about this game. I don't feel like going into detail. If you need a guide, you're not going to get it here. You're getting a full account of what the fuck happened in my session and maybe how it all went to shit. I don't know yet; maybe it'll actually be pretty well. Regardless, I feel it's important for people to know what's going on in my session if there are others. We need to help each other, right? Well, here I am. Helping you._

WC: i'm currently on the phone with joe

NM: Then tell him to get the fuck on

EP: Hey

NM: Emily, please

NM: We really don't have time for small talk

EP: Woah

EP: Someone's sass level is abnormally high today

WC: joe said he'll be on in a second

NM: Where was he?

WC: he said he'll explain when he gets on

NM: Wait fuck

NM: Emily

NM: Get back here

EP: ?

NM: What's the Medium like?

EP: Kind of awesome

EP: I'm still in my house

EP: Wilmond's about halfway to reaching the first gate

NM: Do you know where that'll send you?

EP: Nope, but it's the only place to go

NM: When you go through it, report back immediately

NM: Make sure to bring a computer

NM: Oh, and make sure you get to the first gate within a day

EP: A day?  
EP: How long does this game last, exactly?

NM: Varies session to session

EP: Ugh

EP: Are we gonna meet anyone else playing the game?

NM: I don't know yet

NM: I doubt it

NM: Have you done anything productive?

EP: Well, I killed imps and collected grist

EP: I alchemized a new sweater

EP: It's soft as fuck and I love it

NM: Has Mitch given you any information on the game?

EP: Nope!  
EP: The lazy fuck is sleeping away

EP: Luna's kicking fucking ass against these imps, though

EP: She is the Dark Knight

NM: Didn't I say this was no time for jokes?

EP: No, you said small talk

NM: jfc we don't have time for any of it

[apatheticCatalyst] joined memo [SAVEMARK]

NM: There you fucking are

EP: I'm gonna go kill more imps now

AC: gl hf

NM: Don't gl hf her

NM: Where even were you?

AC: my dad came home

NM: Fuck

NM: Is he still there?

AC: oui

AC: he's leaving in ten minutes, though

AC: so no problems

NM: Except for the fact that we have about ten minutes

WC: LETS GET THIS STARTED

AC: oh fuck my dad's doing something with the lynksis

NM: Tell him to stop

NM: We don't have time for this tomfoolery

[apatheticCatalyst] left memo [SAVEMARK]

NM: I swear to fucking god

NM: Wilmond, just keep working on Emily's house

NM: Emily, keeping killing imps and getting grist

NM: Mark, where the fuck are you

EP: He's probably killing imps

EP: I'm gonna go back to doing that

NM: Great

Emily slipped her iPhone into her pocket and offhandedly shot an imp in the face. Ever since Mark had entered, the little shits had grown tentacles where their mouths should have been. Granted, it didn't make them anymore dangerous at long-range, but they liked to grab onto Emily if they were close enough. She already had a weird rash from where one had grabbed her arm. Aside from that, she only had a few scratches where the imps' claws got her.

"C'mon, bitches!" she yelled, running through her house. Another imp was pierced by her bullet, and it exploded into grist. Wilmond was actually making steady progress with the house, and it would probably only take a few more minutes until he had reached the first gate as long as she kept the grist coming in.

She went out on her deck and glanced up at the work. The structure had fully reached the first gate, but imps covered the stairs and flat planes that made up the architectural masterpiece. For a moment she just gazed up, admiring it and wondering what prevented it from falling. She really didn't want to find out that WIlmond had built some unstable piece of shit halfway up.

With a few deep breaths, she began to ascend. A ladder was set up for her to get to the first plane above her house. She dispatched the few imps that were up there and collected the grist, continuing up another ladder. Her stomach did flips, and adrenaline coursed through her veins as she climbed higher, the ground below even farther away. As soon as she got to the top, she realized her mistake.

"Oh hell," she muttered as an imp leapt for her face.

It left five diagonal scratches on her cheek, barely grazing her eye. She reached out and grabbed it, tossing it behind her into the abyss below. Her hand flung out to reach for the ladder, but she lost her balance. As she fell backwards, her stomach did flips and she shut her eyes tightly.

_Just breathe, _Emily told herself. _Just – breathe._

As if in a trance, everything seemed to slow down. A scream was locked in her throat, and she stared into the darkness of her eyelids. In that darkness she saw it – everything. The whole world was outlined in green, a mesh pattern like a computer simulation. She was able to see Mark, hacking away at imps with his fencing sword; she could see the imps on the platform above her, their tentacles dancing; she could see something in her house that made the grid glitch, the whole mesh was falling apart – and then it was gone, and she focused on what mattered.

She reached out her hand, it gripping a rung of the ladder and jerking her up. When she opened her eyes, the mesh pattern was gone. She panted heavily, her arm burning from the rapid halt. She reached her other hand up and sighed, angry that she had allowed herself to let her gun fall below her. It clattered once on the platform before dropping to the abyss.

"Oh my god," Emily whispered to herself. She climbed down steadied herself, keeping away from the edge of the platform. She wasn't afraid of heights, but she really didn't feel like falling. An imp came running towards her, but with a "Nope!" she grabbed its ankle and flung it off the edge of the platform.

At least she still had her phone.

EP: Hey I have a problem

NM: So do we

WC: yeah i saw that

WC: gg

NM: Stop we really need to get him back into the game

ES: THIS PLACE IS AWESOME :D

NM: Please stop

NM: We still don't have time for shenanigans

NM: Emily, what's your problem?

EP: My gun fell into the abyss under my house

EP: So I'm weaponless

WC: gg wp

EP: Hush

EP: I need a new weapon

EP: Suggestions?

WC: isn't your house

WC: like

WC: stockpiled with guns

EP: Yeah, but I'm bored of guns

ES: LIGHTSABER!

EP: Holy shit

EP: Lightsaber

ES: :3

NM: That's actually a good idea

NM: A+ Mark

EP: IM GONNA DO IT

EP: Wait

EP: How do I make it

ES: Your lightsaber toy

ES: Plus your neon sign

ES: It has plasma in it

EP: Oh shit hell yes

ES: :3D

EP: Nice fancy mustache

ES: Only a gentleman as fine as myself can wear such

NM: Given the general progression of circumstances, Wilmond has five minutes left

WC: i kind of don't want to die

NM: Then tell Joe to get his ass back online

EP: Is it really his decision?

NM: Okay, not really, but

NM: Seriously, we don't have time for this ridiculousness

WC: there's a meteor coming for my house

WC: THERE IS A METEOR COMING FOR MY HOUSE

WC: OH MY GOD

NM: Yeah

NM: Good observation

NM: I'm gonna call Joe

Robert pulled out his phone and found Joe's contact, dialing it with the click of a button. It rang twice before Joe picked up. "And what the fuck," Robert growled, "do you think you're doing?"

"My dad just left," Joe replied, ignoring his friend's questions. "I'm trying to fix the Internet."

"Of all days he had to screw it up –"

"I just got it working," he interrupted, "so gimme a minute."

"We barely have a minute," Robert retorted, and then sighed. In a softer tone, he added, "Just please hurry."

They ended the call and he replaced the phone in his pocket. If the meteor was already visible to Wilmond, then it was probably going terminal velocity. How fast was that? Two hundred miles per hour? How big was Earth's atmosphere, and where was the meteor currently located? He wished that he had paid more attention to the seemingly trivial information, but it was too late now. It wasn't like it was going to help him anyway.

It was just something to distract him.

He went back to the computer, absentmindedly adding onto Mark's house. Mark was somewhere inside his house, killing imps with his sword with CthAbesprite trailing behind him.

[apatheticCatalyst] joined memo [SAVEMARK]

AC: okay, i'm here

NM: Finally

NM: Just connect as fast as possible

WC: okay, i just put in your ip address

AC: i put in yours

AC: what the fuck

AC: it's not working

NM: What do you mean "not working"?

AC: it says there's an error

AC: wilmond, is it working for you?

NM: Wilmond, answer the question

AC: wait do you think that something happened

NM: By something do you mean a meteor falling on his house?

AC: well yeah i guess

NM: I don't fucking know

NM: Fucking Christ in a tomb

AC: maybe he's okay

AC: it doesn't say he signed out

[windowChair] left memo [SAVEMARK]

AC: well fuck

NM: No, we still have time

NM: I know we have time this isn't right

NM: Try entering his IP address again

AC: it's still not working

NM: There is absolutely no fucking reason why it shouldn't work

NM: Fuck fuck fuck fucking fuck

AC: so…

AC: what do we do?

NM: I have no fucking clue

NM: Let me read the walkthrough I guess

NM: Maybe there's some way to fix this

Robert knew that there was no way to fix it – he had already read the walkthrough. There were three fucking chapters about "dealing with death," which would have been nice if he didn't have about twenty minutes until the next meteor was going to fall. Kristen had to enter next, which was fine and dandy except for the fact that she was in the shower. Or maybe she was already out and getting dressed for the game? He really hoped that she would be ready soon.

He didn't feel like having another fuck up.

Apparently death really wasn't a big deal in the game, which was nonplussing to Robert. How could such a permanent and inevitable thing just cease to be so permanent? (It was still inevitable, according to the walkthrough.)

He skimmed it quickly, and quite suddenly he remembered something – if Wilmond didn't enter, then he would never prototype his Kernelsprite. If he didn't prototype his Kernelsprite, then the Battlefield would never fully develop, thus making winning impossible, according to the walkthrough. Robert stopped reading and sighed, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Wilmond, along with the rest of the world, wasn't going to recover from what they were doing.

_God damn it all._

He couldn't tell them that it was impossible to win; he couldn't tell them that they were probably in a doomed timeline.

"What do I do, Jasper?" he questioned aloud. His dog perked his ears up at the sound of his name, but didn't have an answer to offer him.

No, he definitely couldn't tell the others that they were probably in a doomed timeline. Even if they were, he had to keep their morale up, he had to keep them pushing. Being in a doomed timeline would be better than being dead, right? He tried to convince himself of that. A headache was beginning to form at the base of his neck as he tried to reason what was best to do.

Kristen was back on.

[cleverUmbrella] joined memo [SAVEMARK]

CU: Hi, I'm back

AC: oh

AC: hi

CU: What'd I miss?

AC: uh…

NM: Wilmond's MIA

CU: Is he okay?

CU: Robert, is he okay?

NM: No.

AC: you said before that people die in the game

AC: all the fucking time

AC: what if this was meant to happen and like

AC: we're supposed to bring him back to life or something

NM: I don't fucking know

NM: Maybe

CU: So he's dead?

NM: Yes, Kristen, he's dead

NM: The meteor crushed his fucking house

NM: And he's dead

NM: But how about we move on

AC: move on

NM: You know what I fucking mean

NM: As much as this fucking sucks, we need to keep going

NM: The walkthrough says that we can create a new universe

CU: Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

NM: Do you realize how fucking ridiculous this whole series of events has been?

NM: Meteors are hurling down to Earth from some unknown place

NM: And Emily and Mark entered some weird land

NM: And we're all going to die at some point but come back to life

NM: We just move on and hope that we can bring Wilmond back

AC: and what if we can't

NM: Look, Joe, I don't fucking know

AC: goddammit why the fuck did my dad have to fuck with the internet

AC: why the fuck didn't i fix it faster

NM: Shut up

NM: It's not your fault

AC: whatever

AC: so what do we do now?

NM: Wait for Mark to get back on so he can enter Kristen

CU: I'm entering next?

NM: Yeah, so be prepared

CU: How exactly do I prepare?

AC: i'll be back on whenever i need to enter

NM: Dude, no, that's a terrible idea

AC: just call me

CU: That's probably a bad idea but ok

[apatheticCatalyst] left memo [SAVEMARK]

NM: Jesus motherfucking Christ

CU: Just give him some time

NM: This part is pretty sensitive, Kristen

NM: Like, time sensitive

NM: Even this is wasting time

CU: Okay, so, what do we do?  
CU: Just wait for Mark?

ES: Am I needed :?

NM: Please tell me you read the previous part

NM: I really don't feel like explaining this again

ES: How to enter or the uh

ES: Other thing

NM: Wilmond's death

ES: Uh yeah

ES: I read it

ES: :l

NM: Great

NM: Do you remember how to enter?

NM: And do you think you can lead Kristen through it?

ES: Yeah, I think so

CU: Are you leaving?

CU: Weren't you just chastising Joe about that?

NM: Look, I need to read the walkthrough

NM: I need to figure out what the fuck to do

ES: We can help you once we're all in

ES: There's probably more information in the game

ES: Well, once you actually get through the first gate

NM: Mark, just get Kristen into the game

NM: One of you call me once Kristen's in

CU: This is stupid

CU: Just stay

[neverMore] left memo [SAVEMARK]

Joe punched the wall of his computer room.

His fist didn't go through the white wall, mostly because his instincts refused to let him deface the room. But what did it matter? His family was going to be dead within an hour or so, so there wasn't anyone to scold him.

His fist met the wall again.

That time it penetrated the wall, and he let out a strangled cry as it cut open his flesh. Blood trickled out of his hand, staining the white wall with rust. Of course _he _had to fuck up and get Wilmond killed. Why did he care so much? The fact that the rest of the human race was dying barely affected him, the fact that his family dying hurt him a bit, but he didn't feel this kind of anger over any of it except Wilmond.

"God _damn it!" _Joe yelled out. "This isn't _fair!"_

_ Of course it isn't._

Joe whipped around, pressing his hand to his head. In the corner of the room stood a blur – literally just a black and grey blur. His heart was pulsating rapidly, trying to figure out what to do with an intruder in the house and the apocalypse drawing near. It would be just his fucking luck to not die from meteors, but from a burglar.

He furrowed his brows, trying to focus on the person, but his eyes wouldn't allow him to clearly see the person. He could identify the shape of a human – a grey blur for a face, a black blur that was their body. They were tall, nearly touching the ceiling, easily seven feet high. How the hell was he supposed to defend against something that huge?

_Joseph – you are very special. _The person's body didn't move at all as he spoke, and it seemed to speak in his mind. Except it wasn't just one voice – it was a million voices, all speaking in unison, like they were reading from a script without practicing. _You are the Knight, so you must persevere._

Joe tried to calm his breathing, and he tried to stop shaking. "Wh – who – "

Even though he couldn't see the person's face, he could feel the smile. _A guardian, _the figure told him, _of sorts._

Joe frowned, staring into the empty corner. Why was his heart racing?

He got up and straightened out his clothes and wiped his face. If they were going to win the game, then he was going to have to chill the fuck out and compose himself. The blood was still sliding from his hands, and it stung a little, but he was able to ignore it. He had to persevere – he had to keep moving on.

[apatheticCatalyst] entered memo [SAVEMARK]

AC: okay i'm back and ready to fuck shit up

CU: Hi

ES: Howdy partner

AC: what'd i miss?

CU: Well I found a weapon

CU: And guess what the hell it is

AC: the only weapon in your house

AC: aka

AC: a whip

CU: A FUCKING WHIP

AC: gg

AC: couldn't you use a knife or something?

ES: I told her that was silly c:

CU: Because that asshole told me it was stupid

CU: "Oh, a knife? That's so boring!"  
CU: He even had an emoticon

ES: Don't hate on the emoticons :E

AC: how much time do you have left?

CU: Ten minutes exactly

AC: well you better hurry the fuck up

ES: I think that Robert will have twenty five minutes to enter

ES: It seems that the timer goes up by five minutes each time

AC: coo

ES: Coo?

ES: Was that purposefully misspelled 0.o

AC: yes, mark, do you have a problem with that

ES: Nope

ES: None at all

ES: We're all coo

AC: coo

CU: WHAT DO I PROTOTYPE THE FLASHY THING WITH?

ES: I dunno :x

ES: Find something clever

AC: you are supposed to be clever

AC: according to your chumhandle

CU: It's just something the Doctor says

AC: and the rest of britain

CU: Be quiet

CU: Britain rocks

AC: and umbrella

AC: where the hell does that come from

AC: i've always wondered

CU: Umbrella Corporation!

CU: Oh my God you people are so stupid

ES: Sorry to interrupt, but can I please suggest we move on :l

CU: Yes, back to the original issue

CU: WHAT DO I PROTOTYPE

ES: Maybe you should find a better weapon first?

ES: And then you'll see something cool to prototype

AC: *coo

ES: Shush

CU: Okay, I have seven minutes now

CU: Great

ES: What if you prototype your dog?

CU: You suggested that before!

CU: I do not want to kill anything like looks like my dog!

ES: Wait

ES: If the imps are affected by your first prototype

ES: Then make it something that's really weak o:

CU: Like what

AC: a pencil

AC: then you can prototype it with something more intelligent later

CU: No, that's stupid

CU: Six minutes

CU: ffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuu

AC: YOUR LAPTOP?

CU: You mean my child?

CU: Wait, then it'll be able to talk, right?

AC: most likely

ES: Do it :D

ES: You have five minutes, by the way e:

[neverMore] joined memo [SAVEMARK]

NM: And I have returned with new information

NM: Well, just general knowledge

NM: No use telling you guys until later

ES: Okay

NM: How's Kristen doing?

AC: she's coo

NM: Coo?

AC: so fuckin coo

AC: more coo than a fuckin coocoo

NM: Alright

ES: Oh my fucking god

NM: What

NM: What happened?

ES: Well, Kristen prototyped her kernelsprite .-.

NM: Tell me she didn't prototype herself

AC: you can do that?

NM: Yes, and it's a terrible idea, don't do that

NM: What did she prototype her kernelsprite with?

ES: Her phone

NM: Are you shitting me?

Kristen stood in her bedroom, messaging her friends as they debated what she should prototype her kernelsprite with. The purple sphere was floating a few feet from her, making strange noises that sounded like a dialup modem. She looked around her room, examining everything as a possibility to prototype. One wall was a chalkboard, on which was a cartoon drawing of Castiel from _Supernatural. _On the opposite wall were miniature whiteboards that attached to her wall and looked like clouds. They were mostly a list of books, movies, and shows that she wanted to watch.

On her dresser was a plush TARDIS that her sister, Sam, got her for Christmas. What a great sister. Kristen got up and squeezed it, the plush making a _whee-ooo, whee-oo, whee-oo _noise that the TARDIS makes. Goddamn, what a beauty. She put it down and picked up the necklace next to it – a pentagon, the same pentagon that Sam and Dean Winchester give people so that they don't get possessed by demons in _Supernatural._

She put it around her neck. One can never be too careful, especially in an apocalypse situation.

She often liked to comment on how Dean Winchester didn't have her problems (i.e.: homework, sadness from watching too many sad shows, sadness from reading too many sad books, etc.), but now that the apocalypse was literally upon her, maybe she could relate to the Winchester.

The kernelsprite made another noise at her, and she flipped it off. Goddamn, could it give her five minutes to just relax and contemplate her feelings about Dean? Immediately she put her hand down upon realizing that Mark could probably see her, which would be kind of embarrassing. She glanced down at her phone, preparing to answer messages, but she had to take time to admire the phone case. It was a picture of the Silence from _Doctor Who, _and if looked at from a different angle, the monster would disappear.

Kristen turned the iPhone over and read through the messages. Joe was suggesting that she should prototype her laptop, which actually did sound like a great idea. It was downstairs, which was convenient since the grandfather clock that she had to break to enter the Medium was also there. She kind of wished that she didn't have to break the thing – it was purple and beautiful and fantastic.

After typing a quick response, she left her room rapidly, going down the stairs without looking. After that, things happened rather quickly. As she went down the stairs, the kernelsprite came up behind her and beeped. At the same time, her dog, Lucky, decided it would be smart to take a nap on the stairs. She let out a cry, startled by the noise and then proceeded to trip over her dog, who let out a bark.

Her phone slipped out of her hand, and a flash of purple light filled the room.

When she recovered, Kristen glanced around the room, searching for her new iPhonesprite, but it was nowhere to be found. Her dog stared into a corner, barking, but abruptly stopped. Great, the apocalypse was starting and her dog was barking at air – an excellent way to start the end of the world. She sat down on the steps and started to pet Lucky's head, glancing at the clock.

How exactly was she supposed to destroy it with a whip?

The countdown on the device in her dining room informed her that she had exactly three minutes left. Maybe in that time she could come up with a better weapon than a whip to use in the Medium?

She searched her house up and down, checking the basement first. There was a toy gun in the basement, but how effective would that be? Maybe a knife could work – she could use it like a dagger, but that meant that she would need to be in close proximity of the imps in order to kill them. In her sister's room she found a Styrofoam ball that had a bunch of pencils stuck in it, which would work effectively for one use, but after that it would probably be useless.

"Gah, what do I use?" she yelled aloud.

When she found herself back in her living room, she realized that she made a fatal mistake – she let the timer get too far down. Fifteen seconds.

Fifteen. Fucking. Seconds.

How could she have messed up that bad? She had fifteen seconds to figure out how to break a stupid purple clock with her bare hands and a whip. It would be easier if she had more weapons lying around her house, but it was too late to harp on the issue. She held out her hand and searched her mind for the strife sylladex – it felt so weird that she could just think of the whip and it appeared in her hand.

God damn it, she hated whips. There were just so many places where characters got whipped – the _Gone _series, _Catching Fire, Night. _The list could go on, but she really didn't have time to name them all since she had ten seconds left.

The entire house darkened as the sun was blotted out by the meteor lingering overhead.

Kristen ran at the grandfather clock, slashing the whip out. It cracked, and she flinched instinctively. Lucky barked at it. Seven seconds. She slashed at it again, the wood cracking slightly.

Five seconds.

"Break!" she ordered, using all of her might to slam into the huge clock with her shoulder.

One second.


End file.
